{"id":1442,"date":"2012-04-24T17:55:55","date_gmt":"2012-04-24T17:55:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.internationaldiplomat.com\/?p=1442"},"modified":"2012-04-24T17:55:55","modified_gmt":"2012-04-24T17:55:55","slug":"3rd-unctad-women-business-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/?p=1442","title":{"rendered":"3rd UNCTAD Women in Business Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

Panamanian who produces gluten-free food products wins 3rd UNCTAD Women in Business Award<\/strong>
\nWomen entrepreneurs from Brazil and Jordan take second and third prizes<\/strong>
\nDoha, Qatar, 24 April 2012 \u2014 Melissa De Le\u00f3n, founder of Panama Gourmet, a company which produces gluten-free foods, won the 2012 UNCTAD Empretec Women in Business Award. The prize honours businesswomen from developing countries who have founded successful firms, created jobs, and become role models in their communities.
\nThe award was announced at a gala dinner Monday that was the culmination of a \u201cWomen in Development Day\u201d staged on the third day of the UNCTAD XIII quadrennial conference. The prize also marked the conclusion of the UNCTAD World Investment Forum. The forum was held in Doha and overlapped with the beginning of UNCTAD XIII.
\nSecond prize went to Patricia Paz Silva Giordani of Brazil, who founded the firm Moura e Paz – Solu\u00e7\u00f5es Ambientais, which provides the safe transport and treatment of dangerous industrial and medical waste for business clients in one of the poorest states in Brazil.
\nThird place was won by Rahda Kurdi of Jordan. Her company, Advanced Pharmaceutical Services, works as an association providing economies of scale to small pharmaceutical businesses so that they may compete with the large chains in the Jordanian pharmacy sector.
\nAll ten finalists for the awards are graduates of the Empretec programme, which offers training in entrepreneurship through centres in 33 countries. The Investment and Enterprise Division of UNCTAD administers the programme in cooperation with national partners.
\nMs. De Le\u00f3n devised a flour making use of the entire tubers of locally grown Panamanian crops, enabling her supplying farmers to sell their harvests with no waste \u2014 and thus earn steady incomes. Her goods have a shelf life of up to 12 months and do not have additives or preservatives. There is a growing international market for gluten-free foods, which provide healthy nutrition to diabetics, persons with celiac disease, and persons with digestive problems. The intent of the firm is not only to expand sales but to support Panamanian agribusiness, \u201cwhich is underutilized,\u201d Ms. De Le\u00f3n says. The company has helped to establish a national reputation for innovative and healthy products from Panama. It now has 10 employees, eight of whom are women. Ms. De Le\u00f3n states that \u00ab\u00a0The Empretec programme allowed me to obtain intense and hands-on feedback about how to improve my business project, and how to get the best out of my ability.\u00a0\u00bb
\nShe received the prize from Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari, Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage of Qatar, and Chairman of the National Preparatory Committee for UNCTAD XIII. Presenting the second-place award to Ms. Giordani of Brazil was Tarja Kaarina Halonen, former President of Finland and currently Co-chair of the UN Secretary-General\u2019s High Level Panel on Global Sustainability. Ms. Kurdi of Jordan received the third-place award from Aisha Alfardan, Vice Chairwoman of the Qatari Business Women\u2019s Association and Personal Advisor to the Chairman of the firm Alfardan Group Holding. Ms. Alfadan also is Head of the Qatar hub of the Middle East and North Africa Businesswomen\u2019s Association.
\nUNCTAD Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi describes the Empretec programme and the Women in Business awards as \u201chaving had a very real impact on the lives of recipients, on their access to education and resources, and on their motivation to continue developing their enterprises.\u00a0\u00bb Both are part of UNCTAD\u2019s package of technical assistance on entrepreneurship development, which also includes the Entrepreneurship Policy Framework (EPF) launched at WIF. The EPF helps developing country officials design policies that encourage business start-ups and unleash entrepreneurial talent.
\nThe potential of women entrepreneurs \u2013 such as the ten finalists for the awards \u2013 for building successful companies and creating jobs in developing countries is increasingly being recognized by governments. Many of the award finalists tell compelling stories of overcoming social and cultural obstacles to their business careers, as well as surmounting financial challenges.
\nHence both Empretec and the biannual Women in Business Awards \u2013 which were inaugurated at the UNCTAD XII conference in Accra, Ghana, in 2008 \u2013 are seen as ways to promote the empowerment of women in society. In many developing countries, women face obstacles to obtaining the education and technical training necessary for founding and expanding successful businesses. Most entrepreneurial education offered is not tailored to women\u2019s needs. UNCTAD\u2019s Empretec programme strives to overcome these challenges. Besides providing training to women entrepreneurs, the programme also reaches out to youth and to promising entrepreneurs in all sectors of the economy, including in rural areas.
\nDuring the dinner, Master of Ceremonies Laila Al Shahili of the Al-Jazeera television network encouraged those attending to set up business partnerships and networking arrangements with the finalists. The German firm Vecoplan, represented by Ulrich Schulte, announced the offer of a study trip for Patrizia Paz Silva Giordani, the second- place winner, to Canada to a specialized corporate training centre for waste management. Mr. Schulte also extended the offer to Carlota Guevara of El Salvador, another of the finalists, whose firm also works in the waste-management sector.
\nThe first-place winner, Melissa de L\u00e9on, will receive a travel grant of US$6,000.
\nThe firm Pikolinos of Spain offered gifts to all 10 finalists.
\nCelhia de Lavarene<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Panamanian who produces gluten-free food products wins 3rd UNCTAD Women in Business Award Women entrepreneurs from Brazil and Jordan take second and third prizes Doha, Qatar, 24 April 2012 \u2014 Melissa De Le\u00f3n, founder of Panama Gourmet, a company which produces gluten-free foods, won the 2012 UNCTAD Empretec Women in Business Award. The prize honours
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